@truebt
“the question is what are you trying to accomplish by knowing your ancestors names? You will learn far more about things that matter by interviewing relatives.”
Genealogy involves far more than finding out your ancestors’ names. It can record where they lived, what trade they plied, Marriages, divorces, births, deaths, dates, criminal and armed forces records, etc.
I found out that a great-great grandfather’s 5 and 6th children were actually twins (born two days apart) and their mother died shortly after birth, he remarried and I am descended from the second wife. Both wive’s had the same name, so when I heard family stories growing up, I never learned their were two wives, or the great-great uncle and great-great aunt were twins.
I also had been told the family came to America from City X, whereas recorded records show City X was the seat of regional government where passports were issued (and appeared as place of origin on ship’s manifest), in fact they came from Town Y…30 miles away. I visited Town Y in the 1980s and was able locate the gravestones of my Triple Great Grandparents. Family stories would have never led my to this town, and previous searches for information in City X bore no fruit.